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New Hampshire Homeowners - Tips for Winter Weather Showings


Snow-Covered Backyard - Portsmouth NH

Portsmouth New Hampshire homeowners work hard to get their homes ready for showings, and they know what we've been dealing with this winter for weather, and yes, it's snowing yet AGAIN here today!


If you have your home or condo on the market for sale, you're faced with the challenges of dealing with snow, ice and slushy messes while trying to keep your floors clean for showings. It's certainly not easy, that's for sure!


Here are some quick and easy tips to help keep the messes outside and not inside on your floors:

  • Keep walkways, steps patios, decks and driveways clear of snow and ice - this takes some work, but it does 2 major things for you, 1) it helps to keep the winter messiness out of your house because there's nothing to track in, and 2) it helps to decrease your liability because there will be fewer slips and falls if driveways and walkways are kept clear.

  • Have a thick sturdy mat right outside your front door - provide a good mat to encourage everyone entering your home to wipe their shoes off really well.

  • Place an good oversized mat just inside your front door - another great place for potential buyers and their agents to wipe their shoes well one more time, and for those who just automatically remove their shoes in bad weather, having an oversized mat will provide room for their shoes while still leaving room to wipe shoes and place umbrellas on.

  • Don't request that shoes be removed for showings - many buyers and agents are very uncomfortable walking around someone else's home without their shoes on, and this request will not get the showings for those people off to a good start.

  • Keep a basket of booties or shoe covers right beside the door, or use plastic runners over the carpet and place paper runners over hardwood, laminate or tile floors - these runners can be picked up pretty inexpensively at hardward stores or home improvement stores. You can often buy these shoe covers there as well, and those are very inexpensive, too.

Portsmouth NH Homes - Snow Covered Home


I hope these tips are helpful, and if you've got others to add, please feel free to leave them in the comments so we can share those tips, too.



If you're thinking about selling your home or condo here in the Portsmouth NH and southern Maine areas, I'd welcome the opportunity to talk with you about helping you achieve your real estate goals.




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Ann Cummings, New Hampshire REALTOR
Broker - NH and Maine
RE/MAX Coast to Coast
Portsmouth NH
ann@anncummings.com
888-349-5678 x 3839
Servicing the Coastal Areas of NH & Southern Maine REALTOR



Ann Cummings New Hampshire REALTOR

Posted Wednesday Feb 13
( 02/13/08 05:54PM ) — Judy Tuscano, NH Real Estate Professional

Ann - These are some great tips. Thank you for sharing.

( 02/13/08 06:09PM ) — Portsmouth NH Homes Condos - Ann Cummings New Hampshire REALTOR®

Hi Judy - thanks!  Pretty timely with today's weather, huh?  Come on spring!!!

Ann

( 02/13/08 06:45PM ) — Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager

deer at birdfeederYour photo reminded me of this photo that I took of my birdfeeders.  I hate winter, but I love my deer visits.  Good info, Ann.  Good point about the "taking off shoes" making people uncomfortable.

( 02/13/08 07:27PM ) — George Souto

Ann your suggestion about "helps to decrease your liability because there will be fewer slips and falls" is something that Sellers should seriously think about.  In this day of Lawsuits, all it takes is for the wrong person to slip in fall, because of a walkway that has not been clean, for them to own the house without paying a penny for it.

( 02/13/08 07:42PM ) — Portsmouth NH Homes Condos - Ann Cummings New Hampshire REALTOR®

Sharon - that is such a cool picture!!  Do you live in Portsmouth?  I have woods behind me, in Portsmouth, and I have deer frequently, but I've never caught them at my feeders  That almost looks like my own backyard.

Thanks for reading and commenting!
Ann

( 02/13/08 07:44PM ) — Portsmouth NH Homes Condos - Ann Cummings New Hampshire REALTOR®

George - that kind of liability, any kind actually, would scare me just a tad, and I'd do what I could to keep things clean and clear.  And yet, we have sellers all over the place who don't seem to understand that.

Thanks!
Ann

( 02/13/08 11:28PM ) — Jeff Belonger -- The FHA Expert.com -- FHA Loans -- FHA mortgages - USDA loans

Ann..... these are some good, quick tips that so many overlook. Besides, I am so damn jealous that you have all of that snow. This was a disappointing winter for me...

jeff belonger

( 02/14/08 06:05AM ) — Jennifer Fivelsdal, Fishkill NY

Ann - Excellent tips for sellers in wintry weather.  I especially like the point you made about the removal of shoe; that can be a touchy subject and can be a real turn off.  Providing shoe covers is a much better solution.

( 02/14/08 07:26AM ) — Missy Caulk-Ann Arbor- Realtor(R)- Ann Arbor Real Estate

I submitted my comment four times last night and couldn't get it to go in. So hopefully now. I have many vacant listings, I have my sellers hire snow plow people. They have too. The liability is too great and they need to do the side-walk to the house too. 

( 02/14/08 10:03AM ) — Monika McGillicuddy~REALTOR®~ N.H. Real Estate Broker & Trainer

Ann....Winter showings are so hard! I'm always afraid people will fall on icy steps and walkways. Most of the bank owned homes I've shown are rarely plowed or shoveled out. Great tips.

( 02/14/08 02:24PM ) — Florida Real Estate Trainer | Daytona Beach After School Training | Midori

Hi Ann-I gotta hand it to you notherner's...I can't imagine real estate being fun in the winter!  Today it was 39...I did not want to get out of bed!  Do you know the dates of your Florida trip yet???  I can't wait!  Monika is Florida now not sure where she is I am going to do my best to hunt her down!

( 02/14/08 06:21PM ) — Portsmouth NH Homes Condos - Ann Cummings New Hampshire REALTOR®

Linda (My Fort Worth Friend!) - it is kinda pretty, isn't it? 

Jeff - oh don't be jealous of this snow!  I would GLADLY send it ALL to you - we have had way too much snow and I just really want it GONE!!!!!! 

Jennifer - I agree with you about the shoes and that being touchy.  Too many people are just plain flat uncomfortable taking their shoes off in someone's home that they don't know, and knowing others have also been in their without their shoes....just not a good way to start off a showing when the purpose is to sell the house.

Missy - it took on that last try!  Too many just don't think about the liability when the drives and walks are not properly cleared, salted and/or sanded.

Monika - those banks may end up having to wise up the hard way about plowing and shovelling.  We had the bank disallow plowing expenses for the month of January because they didn't think we'd had enough snow to plow at all.  WHAT??  I showed a couple of bank-owned properties this afternoon - they'd been plowed but with all the rain yesterday, it was a total ice field to have to walk over.  Not fun!

Midori - ah real estate's fun no matter the time of year.  We just have to redefine 'fun' a few times throughout the year!  ;-)  I'll email you the dates we'll be down next month.  Monika & Jay were down in Venice and then on to somewhere else to stay with camping friends.  I can't remember the town just at the moment,  Jupiter?


Thanks for the comments!
Ann

( 02/16/08 02:44PM ) — Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager

Ann, yes I live in Portsmouth, surrounded by woods.  I posted some other deer photos on Localism.  We see them everyday this time of year, but hardly at all in the summer.

( 02/16/08 06:26PM ) — Portsmouth NH Homes Condos - Ann Cummings New Hampshire REALTOR®

Hi Sharon - there aren't a lot of places in Portsmouth with woods like that.  I bet we live pretty close to each other!  Do you recognize that house in the bottom picture on this post?

Ann

( 02/18/08 02:00PM ) — Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager

Ann   I don't recognize the house, but that doesn't mean it isn't near me.  I'm on the Portsmouth, Rye line.  Literally... some of my property is in Rye.  I'm off Elwyn Rd.

( 02/18/08 05:29PM ) — Shannon Aldrich ~ NH & Maine Real Estate Seacoast

Ann - You are my blogging hero! Your content is always well thought out and presented!

( 02/18/08 08:09PM ) — Portsmouth NH Homes Condos - Ann Cummings New Hampshire REALTOR®

Hi Sharon - we are close to each other, as I'm close to Rye, too.  You're closer though since part of your property is in Rye!!

Hi Shannon - what a nice comment, thank you!  I do put a lot of time and effort into all my posts, glad it shows!  ;-)


Ann

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